The Border Patrol is the largest U.S. federal law enforcement agency. Its 60,000 agents make our border forces more than double the size of Ecuador’s army. Some policymakers want even more militarization of the border, with $46 billion included in the immigration reform bill the Senate passed in June.

As Mexican security budgets inflate with U.S. aid intended to combat the rising power of drug trafficking and organized crime these funds are increasingly being used to protect the interests of multinational corporations.